Interesting, but thats what the league is becoming, all players wanting to play in big market cities and team up with others not a surprise seems like every trade deadline that we have from now on will have some drama with an unhappy player.

Not so much teaming up. Just think of how much endorsement money there is in say LA, Bos, or NY compared to Milwaukee.

Brandon Jennings not only is receptive to a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, he is also more than willing to become the face of the franchise.

Jennings, the Bucks’ starting point guard since his rookie season three years ago, is eligible for a contract extension July 1. If he chose to reject an extension offer from the Bucks, Jennings would become a restricted free agent after next season and an unrestricted free agent the following season.

There are some NBA observers who believe Jennings will reject an extension and inevitably leave Milwaukee. Of course, those perceptions are based primarily on comments made by Jennings himself earlier this season.

That’s when Jennings hinted he wasn’t content in Milwaukee and that he might want to showcase his talents in a city with more glitz and glamour.

Said Jennings at the time: “I am going to keep my options open, knowing that the time is coming up. I’m doing my homework on big-market teams.”

But Jennings has since become more favorable about remaining with the Bucks, who took a gamble on him by making him the 10th overall selection in the 2009 NBA draft.

Asked if he wants to sign an extension with the Bucks, Jennings said, “If everything is right, why not? If my agent (Bill Duffy) comes back and says this is what we should do, I’m going to do it.”

Jennings’ first two pro seasons were roller-coaster type ones. But last season, particularly down the stretch, Jennings exhibited the consistency Bucks officials had been waiting for.

In the Bucks’ last 17 games, Jennings averaged 18 or more points in 14 of them. During that same stretch, he registered six games of 24 points or more, including a 30-point outing against New Jersey.

For the season, Jennings led the Bucks in scoring at 19.1 points and led the team in assists at 5.5 while being the only Buck to start and play in all 66 games.

Jennings, 22, has become more involved in Milwaukee activities. He will be appearing at Summerfest — dubbed the world’s largest music festival — next month and will hold one of his basketball camps.

He seems to found his niche. Asked if he enjoys being a Buck, Jennings said, “Oh, yeah, of course. I’ve been the starting guard here for three years.”

Jennings was also asked if he could envision himself becoming the face of the Bucks’ franchise, and if he wants to take on that role?

“Yes, I would,” Jennings said. “At the end of the day, it’s an NBA team. If you asked any guy in the NBA, would you like to be the face of a franchise, I’m sure 80 percent of them would say yes, no matter where they are.”

While contract extension talks will commence next week, Jennings said he’s already looking forward to next season. He wants to radically alter the attitude of his team, which has failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons.

“I hate the word ‘try’,” Jennings said. “I think we’ve used that too often in Milwaukee, like ‘We’re trying to make the playoffs.’ That’s just one word I’m sick of hearing.

“Next year, when we meet every time, we’re just going to say ‘playoffs’. We need to make the playoffs. It’s not ‘try’ to make the playoffs anymore.”

Mequon - Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings is hoping to have a contract extension in his pocket by the time the regular season opens on Nov. 2 in Boston.

Jennings is entering his fourth NBA season and is in line for an extension that could keep him with Milwaukee for four additional seasons.

But the 23-year-old had more than his contract on his mind during an interview Sunday morning at Homestead High School. Jennings was on hand to supervise a group of 200 youngsters on the second day of the Brandon Jennings Basketball ProCamp.

"It would be something I’d love to get done with and over with so I don’t have to worry about it," Jennings said of the contract extension. "But the main thing is just to come into training camp a better player, a better leader ... just lead the team to the playoffs."

Oklahoma City reached an extension deal with shot-blocking forward Serge Ibaka on Saturday, a deal reported to be worth $48 million over four seasons. The 23-year-old Ibaka was in the same situation as Jennings, eligible for an extension for the first time.

Bucks management and Jennings' agent, Bill Duffy, have until Oct. 31 to reach a deal.Jennings knows there will be plenty of pressure to win this season, particularly with coach Scott Skiles and general manager John Hammond in the final year of contracts. And the Bucks are coming off a 31-35 finish during the lockout-shortened season, marking a second straight season missing the playoffs.

"To be honest, I think everybody is (feeling pressure)," Jennings said. "We’re all on the bubble right now, because we need to win. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on all of us, not just the coaching staff or the GM. We all know this could be it so we need to turn it around right now."

Jennings has watched all the player movement during the off-season and seen the landscape in the Eastern Conference change dramatically. All-star center Dwight Howard has gone to the Western Conference after being traded by Orlando to the Los Angeles Lakers, while young big man Andrew Bynum has a new address in Philadelphia. Joe Johnson is teaming up with Deron Williams in New Jersey and Atlanta has a reshaped roster now featuring guards Devin Harris and Lou Williams.

"A lot of teams are different and some teams got better," Jennings said. "I still think the Sixers are going to be great. The Nets are going to be better for sure.

"With the team we have and the potential we have, we have a chance to be a top six seed in the Eastern Conference. That’s something I’m going to go into training camp talking about with the guys. Instead of saying we hope we make the playoffs, we just need to start saying, ‘We’re going to do it and we need to do it now.’"

Let’s just say Brandon Jennings isn’t losing any sleep over whether he’ll have his contract extended by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Under collective bargaining rules, Jennings, the young mercurial point guard, and the Bucks have until the end of the month to reach an agreement on an extension.

If the parties can’t reach an agreement, Jennings would become a restricted free agent next July. Under that scenario, Jennings would be able to entertain contract offers from any of the other 29 NBA teams.

While the Bucks could match any offer for Jennings and retain his services at that point, there is always the danger another team would offer Jennings a contract that would make it difficult for the Bucks to match.

Jennings has repeatedly said he’s content in Milwaukee and would welcome being with the Bucks for the long haul. Signing an extension would virtually assure that.

But Jennings said he isn’t the least bit worried if an extension can’t be worked out.

Asked if his contract situation was weighing on his mind, Jennings said, “No, because at the end of the day, everything will work out. All I can do is go between the lines and play basketball every day.’’

Jennings went so far as to say that he couldn’t remember the last time he and his agent, Bill Duffy, had talked specifically about a contract extension.

“I talked to him a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn’t about the contract,’’ Jennings said. “I can’t put my hand on what’s really going on (with contract talks). That’s why I just let my agent handle it.

The 23-year-old Jennings is entering his fourth NBA season after the Bucks made him the 10th overall selection in the 2009 draft. While Jennings’ defense has come under scrutiny, nobody can dispute growth as an offensive player.

His shooting percentage has gone up every season: 37 percent as a rookie, 39 percent in his second season and 42 percent last season.

His scoring average has also steadily increased. After averaging 15.5 points as a rookie, he averaged 16.2 his second season and a team-leading 19.1 last season.

Now the question is how much the Bucks are willing to pay him. Jennings will be paid $3.179 million this season. If he was to receive “max’’ money on an extension – which Duffy allegedly is pushing for – Jennings could collect more than $14 million per year for four seasons.

In an informal survey of four NBA officials — all of whom weren’t affiliated with the Bucks — none would come close to offering Jennings “max’’ money.

The most money any of the four officials said they would give Jennings is $11 million per season. The lowest was $9 million per year.

The scuttlebutt around the NBA is that Denver is willing to give their young point guard Ty Lawson a four-year, $45 million deal. Or, about $11.2 million per year.

So, what’s going rate for some the best point guards in the game? Well, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn’s Deron Williams will easily be the highest-paid point guards in the league this season: Paul at $17.7M and Williams at $17.1M.

Where Jennings will eventually fit into that salary strata remains to be seen. For now, at least, he claims not to care.

“At this point, I’m just playing basketball,’’ Jennings said. “ This is one of the biggest years of my career, so I’m just concerned about playing basketball.’’

* While Jennings was willing to discuss his contract status, his backcourt teammate, Monta Ellis, wasn’t as receptive.

Ellis, who will be paid $11 million this season, has an opt-out clause in contract after this season. By all indications, talks to extend his contract aren’t encouraging.

Ellis certainly gave that impression after meeting with reporters following Tuesday’s practice. When I queried Ellis about his contract, he responded “I don’t want to talk about that.’’ He then walked away.

* With Luc Mbah a Moute sidelined by a knee issue and his return uncertain, Tobias Harris has started all the preseason games at small forward. When I asked Bucks coach Scott Skiles if the 20-year-old Harris would definitely be the starter once the regular season starts, he said, “No.’’

Skiles then mentioned veterans Mike Dunleavy and Marquis Daniels as candidates for the starting three spot.

Brandon Jennings: "If I take the qualifying offer and become an [unrestricted] free agent there is no way I am coming back."

By Marc J. Spears

SAN FRANCISCO – Point guard Brandon Jennings, a soon-to-be restricted free agent, says if he signs a one-year qualifying offer with Milwaukee this offseason, expect his days with the Bucks to be limited to one season.

"If I take the qualifying offer and become an [unrestricted] free agent there is no way I am coming back," Jennings told Yahoo! Sports on Friday after practice. "There is no way."

Jennings considers Milwaukee a "great sports town" and has enjoyed his time there, but in order to keep him long term, Jennings said the Bucks' offer must be lucrative and there needs to be changes in the roster and the organization to make it championship caliber.

He turned down a four-year, $40 million deal prior to this season, a source told Yahoo! Sports. A one-year qualifying offer would be worth about $4.5 million for Jennings.

"It's not unfair to make that statement if he feels there is not a deal fair to him this summer," Bucks general manager John Hammond said of Jennings' stance. "I would be surprised if it happens. But he is operating within the [collective bargaining] rules. I'm not taken aback. It's a natural discussion to have."

Jennings plays in one of the NBA's smallest markets and is rarely seen on national television. The Los Angeles native admits that a bigger market is attractive but his preference is to play for a title contender, regardless of a city's size. Jennings noted that the Oklahoma City Thunder play in a small market, but made it to the NBA Finals last season and are frequently on national television.

The Bucks have made one playoff appearance in Jennings' previous three seasons, pushing the Atlanta Hawks to seven games in the first round in 2010 before bowing out. Milwaukee is expected to make the postseason as a seventh or eighth seed this season, but is a long shot to advance, especially if it draws the Miami Heat in the first round.

[Related: Celtics stuck with Paul Pierce instead of dealing him to Dallas]

"I just want to win," Jennings said. "The way I am playing now, I just want to go to a winning team and play like that. I don't care about being a superstar or being the main guy. I did that [the] first four years. I just want to win and be somewhere where it's all about winning.

"I'm not saying the Bucks aren't about winning. But I think [a title caliber situation] will help me, motivate my game and then you have to perform."

Jennings is in a free-agent point guard class that's led by the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul and includes the Dallas Mavericks' Darren Collison (restricted), the Utah Jazz's Mo Williams, the Detroit Pistons' Jose Calderon, the Golden State Warriors' Jarrett Jack and the Clippers' Chauncey Billups.

Jennings is averaging 18.4 points, a career-high 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals this season. He believes he has proven he is more than a score-first point guard since the All-Star Break by averaging 17.6 points and 10.4 assists while shooting 48.8 from 3-point range. Jennings says he'll be more pass-first minded from now on.

"Everybody says I'm just a shooter, I'm just a scorer," Jennings said. "But if you go back to my high school days, I've always been a pass-first point guard. Now that we got J.J. [Redick], who's a good scorer, now I'm just looking for options all the time.

"Basically, I should have been doing what I've been doing the last three months. Is it too late? I don't know. But maybe it's a good way to start showing what else I can do."

The Bucks have Jennings' "Bird Rights" and can pay him for five seasons where another team could give him only a four-year offer. There is a risk if Jennings signs a one-year, qualifying offer while turning down lengthy deals. What if he gets hurt or underperforms? But Jennings, 23, is known for being cavalier. He was the first American to go from high school to playing professional basketball in Europe when he suited up in Italy for a season. Instead of signing with a more well-known shoe company, Jennings was Under Armour's first major basketball client.

"If you think about it I still do have power," Jennings said. "If anything is offered out there that doesn't mean I have to accept it, right? That means next season I will be playing and then I will become a free agent and can go anywhere I want to go.

"It doesn't mean if another team offers me something or the Bucks offer me something that I have to take it. I can still play it out. That's something I've been thinking about. Then I can really have the power to really make my own decision."

Bucks general manager John Hammond said the team will be aggressive in trying to sign point guard Brandon Jennings to a long-term contract when the league's free agency period opens Monday.

The Bucks already have made a $4.3 million qualifying offer to Jennings to retain the right to match any other offers for the restricted free agent.

Jennings has been the Bucks starting point guard since he was selected 10th overall in the 2009 draft. He played in all but two games last season and averaged 17.5 points and a career-best 6.5 assists. He had a streak of 182 consecutive games played before sitting out two games late in the regular season.

"It's our intention for Brandon Jennings to remain a Milwaukee Buck," Hammond said Friday. "We're hoping to negotiate with him fairly through the July process.

"At the conclusion of our negotiations if we have not reached a deal and they choose to go out and seek an opportunity in the open market, our intention then would still be to match."

But that won't stop rumors of Joe Dumars shopping around the league, especially with the expiring contracts of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva in his pocket and a free agent signee in Josh Smith who can play either forward spot.

The latest: The Pistons have chatted with the Milwaukee Bucks about a potential sign-and-trade deal involving point guard Brandon Jennings, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine (Wis.) Journal Times.

Jennings is a restricted free agent and the Bucks made him a $4.5 million qualifying offer. So far, nobody has signed Jennings to an offer sheet, and Milwaukee even tried to grab point guard Jeff Teague last week.

Last season with the Bucks, Jennings averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists per game while shooting just 39.9 percent from the floor.

He's spent his entire four-year career in Milwaukee and averaged a career-high 19.1 points per game in 2011-12. He's a career 35 percent three-point shooter.

The Sporting News' Sean Deveney reports that Jennings does not want to return to the Bucks, but also is seeking a deal in the four-year, $48 million range.